


Trident Series

by Enforcer782



Series: Trident Series [1]
Category: Halo (Video Games) & Related Fandoms
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-27
Updated: 2019-06-27
Packaged: 2020-05-20 20:01:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,875
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19383709
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Enforcer782/pseuds/Enforcer782
Summary: A plot within the Halo universe that I created, essentially it follows a Spartan II on the run from ONI operatives. But encounters a dangerous new antagonist that changes everything he knew about the universe. As he struggles to maintain and understand this new reality, he is faced with difficult decisions, giving into the darkness. Or battling through to the light.It is based out of a Sci-fi/Supernatural concept. I hope you all enjoy!





	1. Chapter 1

Dark Beginnings

 

3 years prior to the fall of Tyram.

 

Location: Doisac: Jiralhanae home world.

 

Have you ever wondered where the prisoners of the Covenant went? Those that didn’t seem valuable that is. Many people assumed that most of the prisoners taken by the covenant were executed almost immediately if they did not provide useful information, or the fact that they usually didn’t take prisoners.... Well in most cases that would be true but for the Brutes, those they kept as prisoners were usually transported to their home world, once their they were taken to enslavement camps and forced to fight to the death. Now it wasn’t always UNSC that found themselves in this pit of hell, sometimes it was Kig-Yar, other times it was Unggoy, and even on rare occasion a Sangheili warrior. Most of other species enslaved came after the war and it was mostly UNSC soldiers, those that survived the fights usually died of their wounds shortly after. The Death camps were terrible places. But for one, it was the birthplace of an Unholy Bloodlust and desire for death. This story is the account of Felix Brandt, a Spartan-II That served during the human-Covenant war.... This is his Dark beginning.

 

 

Everything could be heard in the cells, the screams of the dying, the battle cries of the victor, the whimpering and cursing coming from the cells around him. It is true what they say when killing can change a man, but being forced to fight to the death every day with no hope of ever escaping the confines of the camp. Something inside Felix died after months of the hell that was the War-ground, instead of fear. The Spartan had nothing but an inner blood lust, one that had formed during his time within the encampment. Something that could only be considered Jiralhanae behavior. An unhealthy need for destruction and chaos. Felix relished the thought of killing his next opponent, to feel the bone break underneath his boot, and the felling of blood as it flowed out of the lifeless bodies. Felix was no longer human, and he liked it. Cell doors groaned and creaked as they opened and in the opening stood a Jiralhanae, a long black brown whip as thick as a steel cable in hand. This Brute was not wearing anything that even resembled Covenant apparel but instead wore some sort of a thick leathery armor that covered most of it’s body, neck guards on either side of the collar piece could be seen and the Brute was wearing something similar to that of a helmet a Brute major would wear, the golden surface dented and rusty from the constant use. It growled before reaching into it’s pocket and pulling out a key, it then unlocked the long heavy chain from the wall connecting to Felix and wrapped it around his hand before tugging roughly. Felix responded after the second tug standing up to his full height. 7ft 10 inches, one of the biggest and tallest Spartans ever created. Felix gave the Brute an evil smile before proceeding out of the cell with his captor. The roar from outside was deafening but Felix barely heard it, he was to busy contemplating how he was going to slaughter the poor sap that he was going up against. He could hear the grumbling of two guards as they bet on who the winner of the last match was, apparently the one he was going up against never lost. He was about to change that.... Giant metal doors groaned as they slowly opened revealing the blood colored battle field, the sand was tinted red, now whether that be from the blood red sky or actual blood from the many fallen he did not know but he didn’t have time to think about the color of sand, he was going to kill his advisory. Dispersing his thoughts he looked around to see the roaring of the crowds as they awaited what was to come, he could see the many Chieftains sitting atop glorified thrones, a big one, probably the Chieftain of this encampment stood and motioned for the gates to open. There was a nod from some Brute guards and they moved towards the metal doors across from where Felix had entered. Grabbing the chains on either side they pulled, straining as they did so they managed to slowly open both sides of the giant door revealing the beast that lay within.

 

Felix could tell it was big, the shadows around it seemed to cascade down the hulking figure as it walked into the blood-lit arena, it’s shape formed into that of simian origin and Felix found that he was staring at a Brute. Not just any Brute however but an Alpha, appearing over 9 feet tall. Easily towering over any Sangheili. The beast roared into the air as if encouraging the crowd to join him. Felix felt his restraints loosen and fall limp to the floor in a series of clanks and clatters, looking over he could see a Brute guard dragging the chains back into the metal doors before they closed behind him. He turned back to the giant monkey and grinned, it was carrying the oh so symbolic gravity hammer that most Alphas or Chieftains wield, except it was much larger and looked like it fit him personally, skulls from many species hung from a rope tied around his neck, and when it growled he could see the large canine fangs that the beast possessed. The large Brute smashed his hammer on the ground creating a small crater before beginning his charge towards the Spartan. Everything was still, though the crowd never ceased with their chants and roars, the pounding of the beasts feet shook the ground as it quickly closed the gap between them. But within Felix, lay a disturbing calmness, the calmness quickly manifested into blood lust and rage as he looked into the eyes of the beast mere feet from him now, and as the Brute raised the hammer to deal what would be considered the death blow Felix reacted. Quicker than anyone there had ever seen he side stepped once to allow the Brute to exert all his strength into decimating the ground before slamming all of his mass into the side of the hulking creature, effectively knocking the wind out of him. Once the beast was on it’s back Felix took this opportunity to unleash a series of hellish blows to the beasts face, blood and saliva spewed from it’s gigantic maw as it struggled to get the Spartan off, but Felix would not allow it, grabbing a nearby rock he started bashing it into the Brutes skull, breaking bones and teeth as he did so. The roaring of rage that had come from the Brute almost immediately turned into screams of pain as Felix destroyed it’s face with the rock. The brute finally grabbed Felix by the shoulder and ripped him off, throwing him across the arena. Rolling Felix found his balance and charged at the now struggling Brute, the gravity hammer which a moment ago the Brute had possessed was now lying on the floor, Felix would make good use of that as he grabbed the large metal hammer and started dragging it towards the Brute who was now struggling to get back on it’s feet, It turned and roared back at Felix, pieces of flesh hanging tattered off his face revealing exposed bone and tissue. Felix however, was not phased by the grotesque appearance and with all his strength swung the giant metal hammer into the Brutes side. A loud series of cracks followed by an unearthly scream was heard as the giant beast crumpled to the floor, breathing heavily and now covered in blood Felix dragged the hammer over to the beast which was now barely alive and stood by his head. He then looked up at the Chieftains who were now seething with anger and said, “I am the one who shall end you all! Every last one of you shall die under my boot and I will relish the grinding of your bones!” Once he had finished yelling that to the crowd he then turned lifted the hammer and swung it’s hulking mass downward.

The result was instant, the skull crushed spewing blood and bits of brain out onto the sand quickly filling the now formed crater that was once the Alphas head. The gravity hammer lie in the center of the pool of blood and Felix stood next to it Smiling and glaring evilly at the Chieftains. The head Chieftain stood up and roared before leaping from his throne and landing onto the War-ground below. Others soon followed suit and fairly soon the entire crowd had dropped down and was now charging at Felix with blood lust in their eyes. Felix shared their same thirst for blood as he grabbed the hilt of the gravity hammer and lifted it out of the blood filled crater. Holding it in both hands he then charged at the oncoming horde of Brutes, he may die but he was going to kill every last one of them before he did. The horde and Felix had clashed and he was obscured from view because of the mass of bodies that crashed into him, resting in the center he was cleaving the heads off of Brutes and smashing the ribs of his advisories as he took on the entire tribe. Giant hands grabbed at him but they were destroyed as soon as they came close. Whips cracked as some of the guards tried striking him down but it was to no avail, grabbing the leathery whip as it struck at him he pulled the Brute forward and, in one quick motion brought the hilt of his hammer around the Brutes neck breaking it with his hammer. 

Roars and screams could be heard throughout the encampment as one deranged human fought against a horde of Angry Jiralhanae. Just as the Spartan was consumed by the wave of bodies, Pelicans burst through the clouds. The pelicans had managed to get past all radar and ships the Brutes possessed with ease. Spinning up the Gatling guns, both gunships opened fire on the horde below effectively turning the War-ground into a meat grinder. Bodies were torn apart and blood sprayed everywhere as the ships finished off the remaining survivors. The ships circled the area a few times before finally landing on the ground below. A mass of goo that moments ago was one of the Chieftains started moving, and a hand burst forth. The hand of a human, then gradually the rest of the human came into view. Felix had survived the onslaught and was now drenched from head to foot in blood. He stood gravity hammer still in hand and watched as the ships landed.

The hatch of one of the pelicans opened causing a hiss as the air tight seal broke. Soldiers filed out before taking up positions at the bottom of the pelican. One man, a human with armor he could almost compare to Spartan armor walked casually down the ramp holding what appeared to be a chart in his hand before stepping onto the blood soaked ground. The armor itself was the color of blood and steel. His visor matched that of the burning sky and Felix wondered what this man truly was, “Felix Brandt?” He said casually as he addressed the blood drenched Spartan, “Yeah?” He said anger still emanating from him in waves, the man looked at a chart he was holding before tossing it aside, “My name is Ryan Miller, but you'll soon know me as Trident, It took a long time to find you my friend.” Two other humans in similar armor stepped out of the Pelican, one male and slightly taller than Trident, and the other female with a strange weapon that seemed covenant in origin. “These two have joined me as well, the one on my right is Kara.” He gestured to the female who nodded in return, “And the man to my left is Avion.” The man simply stood there watching Felix intently, whatever emotions were behind his helmet would be forever hidden behind his visor, “But enough with the introductions, now we get down to the reason I am here.” He said pausing briefly before continuing, “I have sought you out because I have great interest in your skills, and we could use your abilities to help in our war against the insects known as ONI. If you join us I can guarantee you will be able to kill to your hearts content, so long as it’s the people I have assigned you to kill.” Felix thought about this for a moment, he realized his right eye was hurting, but he ignored the pain and focused on the soldier before him, “What if I agree to this? Whats in it for me aside from the onslaught?” He said a heavy German accent escaping his lips as he spoke, the soldier responded with ease, “Oh you will receive more than that I can assure you, upgraded armor variants as well as a small army under your command, the only one you will take orders from is me. What do you say to that?” He said in a tone that could convince even the hardest of minds, he had to admit this man was very sure of himself, but Felix could tell he had darker secrets that he withheld inside himself, Felix didn’t question further but instead responded with, “I’m in, but I request one thing before I go with you.” There was a pause before trident responded, “And what would that be?” Trident asked, 

“Call me Bloodletter.” Trident smiled under his helmeted features and nodded, “Very well Bloodletter lets get moving, it’s only a matter of time before the Jiralhanae figure out we got past their defenses.” Bloodletter nodded and followed Trident up the ramp dragging the gravity hammer with him, the hatch shut and both pelicans lifted off and flew out of Doisac, leaving behind the savage planet. 

The story of how Bloodletter began was harsh and disturbing, and no one should have to have experienced what those whom were there had to go through. Unfortunately for those that have soon yet to feel the wrath of Bloodletter, monstrous beings are born in monstrous places.


	2. Hunted

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our Protagonist is being hunted by a team of highly trained ODST's, and a two man team of Headhunters. They were sent in to retrieve him, and bring him in for questioning. Since the end of the Human-Covenant War, a few of the Spartan II's disappeared without a trace, this man was one of those soldiers, and ONI doesn't like when their investments go missing.
> 
> Will they succeed? Or will the Spartan evade capture as he had done in the past, several times before?

8 months after the War with Tyrams forces.

 

Location: Reach: ONI Tech facility(Sword Base)

 

Classification: ONI Highcom.

 

Target: Former ONI Special Operations, Lieutenant Castiel, S-111.

 

Lieutenant Commander Eridamis Noronmel of ONI Special Operations HighCom.

Message for Members of the board of Directors, ONI HighCom.

 

Information strictly classified, anyone that attempts to read this file that does not have the authorization will be dealt with immediately.

 

Message: This man was one of the few Spartan IIs selected to participate in a top secret ONI experiment involving the training of these men in becoming the perfect Stealth Operations Soldier, or Assassins as the temple Guardians called it. There were only three successful Spartans to undergo the training required and were instilled in various places across the universe. The three soldiers were separated to ensure that they were not all eliminated at once, since they were the only ones with their particular skill and ONI could not risk such a high investment going to waste.

 

From the information we can gather this is what we know of the others.

 

Castiel S-111: Codename Ghost given by the head Director within the Wet-work program. Ghost ascended to Assassin Master during their time in the temples and serves as the leader of the three, Given the Title (Umbra mortis) By the Temple Guardians this man is responsible for the success of various ONI Operations across the galaxy. His reputation as an Assassin is well known through out ONI HighCom and the UNSC HighCom, this man is extremely dangerous and must be dealt with accordingly.

 

Jacob S-843: Codename Strife given by his assassin superior Ghost, this man reached the rank of Assassin and acts as a second to Ghost, this man’s abilities with a blade have gone unmatched and was the sole cause of the success he created during his Operations. Not much is known of Strife but what we have obtained could prove to be valuable in the future.

 

Derik S-554: Codename Theron given by his assassin superior Ghost, Theron achieved the rank of Assassin along side Strife and worked as one of ONI’s P.U.R.G.E. Operatives during many insurrectionist assaults, his skill in close quarters combat exceeds any member in the UNSC and ONI, his strength can be matched with some of the strongest sangheili warriors which makes him a versatile weapon capable of mass destruction. Although the same rank of Assassin as Strife, he lets the Ranking order go as it is and focuses on the mission objective. Again, we have little information regarding Theron or Strife as they disappeared not long after Ghost.

 

The target, Lieutenant Castiel was sent on various insurrectionist purges as well as information snatch and grabs from abandoned outposts that had been left during the Human-Covenant war. After 3 years of service, the Director of the Freelancer program had recruited Castiel into the freelancer program thus ending all communications with this soldier. This however was unacceptable and most of ONI agreed that a high priority soldier such as this does not “Go Dark” for an extended period of time without the knowledge of ONI Highcom. Years past before ONI operatives finally tracked a solid beacon emanating from an abandoned ONI research facility. This man is a direct threat to security and must be dealt with, ONI has sent in an elite team of Special operations Orbital Drop Shock Troopers as well as a two man team of headhunters to ensure the target is eliminated.

 

 

“Command, come in this is Captain James Taylor of the 78th ODST, we are nearing the facility and the beacon is still strong.”

 

“Copy Captain, this is Command. He does not leave that place alive, understood?”

 

“Understood Command, Taylor out.”

 

 

Engines roared as the Pelican made contact with the concrete floors within the courtyard of the ONI facility. The back hatch of the Pelican slowly opened revealing the ONI Drop troopers within, “Alright soldiers, command wants this guy dead and they sent us to ensure that he stays that way.” The Captain said as they filed out searching the perimeter, the research facility looked like it had undergone serious plasma damage which wasn’t surprising considering the entire canyon was used during the human-covenant war for cover from most of the air force that scouted the rocky crags of this desolate place. Looking back over at the main gates he noticed many craters and deep plasma damage to the outer walls of the facility indicating that quite a few wraith tanks had probably passed through here. Looking back at the facility itself he could see two entry doors, one at the second level of the compound, and one on the first level just a few meters away from their location, “Corporal I want the head hunters to proceed to the second floor and cut off any alternate escape, we will head through this door and see if we can’t find our guy.” 

The soldier nodded and moved over to give orders to the big brutish soldiers that had been scouting the perimeter. The Captain turned his attention towards two of his men making their way towards the main door, checking to see that his rifle was indeed loaded he walked towards the door. One of his soldiers, Corporal Chris Hoffman was working on the door trying to break the codes and allow them entry, “How much time do we have Corporal?” The Captain asked, The soldier didn’t even look up as he responded, “I have to get past the security walls that went up when this facility came under attack, and I’m just about...... Got it! Captain, security system offline we can get into the base.” The Captain nodded as the Corporal stood up and readied his shotgun, taking point he activated the panel causing the door to slide open. Making their way into the base they soon had to turn on their thermal imaging, allowing them to seek out their target in the darkness that was the ONI facility. “Check your Radar, this man is known for using Active Camouflage, if we can pinpoint the mass of red blips while he is in hiding we can find him faster.” The Captain said as he led his men down a ramp that went to the bottom floor of the place. Looking around he could see there was indeed a fair amount of damage within the base just as their was outside of the base but this was on a smaller scale, assault rifle rounds had penetrated the thick concrete walls were as the plasma scorched the surface. A large covenant Grav-lift had been placed in the center of the building close to some sort of strange art design, what it was supposed to represent he wasn’t quite sure but he wasn’t here to speculate on the quirky artistic taste of the spooks in ONI, he was here to eliminate one of their ex-specialists. Moving on they made their way into what looked like a control center, the area had screens that showed the outside of the base as well as the main rooms inside the facility, 

“Corporal, scan those cameras, see if you can find the him.” 

The soldier nodded and set off towards the screen filled room followed close behind by two other soldiers. Captain Taylor and his Lieutenant walked much more slowly, taking in much of their surroundings. Aside from the scorch marks, bullet holes, and small pieces on the ground, the control center looked just like it would if the place was not in ruins, looking over he could see the Corporal hard at work searching the database for any information, then just as they reached the room he looked up at the Captain, 

“Sir, we found the signal he’s in the facility Second floor in the Operations room.” 

The Captain nodded and looked at his Sergeant and motioned for him and his lieutenant to follow. 

“Corporal, stay here and make sure his beacon stays online.” With those words he walked out of the room and continued to one of the lifts leading up to the second floor followed close behind by three of his men.

The Second floor was worse off than the first, and that was putting it lightly. Walls were torn down, wires and cables jutting out in a tangled mess. Leaving the lift room they made their way through a long corridor, lights flickered as the reserve power of the facility struggled to maintain itself on the second floor. There was a general unease flowing through the men, especially the Captain though he masked his emotions quite well, although the helmet and visor probably helped a little. “The signal is just across the catwalk, he’s close sir, watch yourself up there.” 

The Captain acknowledged before taking point and heading towards the beacons signal. “I don’t see anything, Captain are you sure it’s not a false reading?” Asked the Lieutenant as they entered the Operations room, 

“Oh he’s here alright, and if what his file says is true, we are going to need those headhunters.” 

They continued into the Operations room guns at the ready, the Captain stopped before one of the computer screens and looked at it, “Corporal there is a video log attached to this computer. Can you open it up?” 

“Got it sir, file is opening now.”

 

The screen goes black for a moment, the video is slightly blurred but then focuses in revealing a large black Pilot helmet outfitted for a Spartan sitting on the table, the rest of the room is dark and shuffling could be heard in the background. The noises continued on for quite some time before a large dark figure could be seen, he was holding what appeared to be sheets of paper in his left hand as his right rested at his side. The figure stayed back just enough to keep the light from revealing his face, “Captain James Taylor, of the 78th ODST.” The figure said surprising the Captain, “I am aware that ONI has sent you to “Deal” with me, and as you should know, I am not one that can be taken easily.” He said in a deadly serious tone, “I have read your file and I know that you and your team are more than capable of taking down foes greater than a Spartan-II, but let me just say this.... Is it worth losing all of your men in an attempt to kill one?” He paused for a moment as if to give the Captain time to think before continuing on, I am giving you one chance to be reasonable, leave now and no harm will come to you and your men. Heed this warning Captain, for I am giving you a choice, if you make the wrong one there will be no going back.....” 

 

The figure takes a step back into the shadows leaving only the image of the helmet on screen, it was quiet for a long time until a large gauntleted hand grabbed the top of the helmet and lifted it up as a large lower body moves past the screen causing it to bug out and go black, The Captain looked up at his men, as they looked back to him, he could feel the uncertainty in them, “Don’t listen to him, we will hunt this bastard down and show that he is nothing. Spread out! Search for him!” The Captain yelled as the soldiers quickly comply spreading out and searching for any possible source of their target. The Captain raised his assault rifle and started searching the room, “Sir beacon has gone dark” Corporals voice came in over the radio

“Switch to your HUD, everyone watch for the red blips!” 

“Sir I’m picking something up on my radar, I think it’~” All at once the Lieutenants line went dead, leaving nothing but static. “Lieutenant! Come in Damn it!” 

“Corporal I want this place on lock down, all doors, any exit point. He will not escape!”

 

“Yes, Sir.” The Captain and his squad ran to the Lieutenants last known location, “I don’t see anything Captain!” a soldier said as he searched for any sign of the Lieutenant. Looking around the Captain noticed droplets of blood hitting the ground three feet from what appeared to be an air duct in the wall, looking inside he couldn’t see a thing, the hole looked as black as the void, consuming any light that attempted to find it’s way in. Something dripped onto his shoulder and he looked up in surprise, “Oh my God....” Was all he could say as he sat looking at the lifeless corpse that was his Lieutenant, he appeared to be tangled in some steel cables and was hanging suspended in the air a good 15 ft off the ground, “Form up! Stay close! He’s around here somewhere...” They all complied forming in a tight circle looking around rifles at the ready, “Sir, headhunters are on standby... Should I grant them access to the base?”

“Y-yes do it.”

 

.............................................................................................................................................................................................

 

Perspective: Lieutenant Commander Hudson Jones. 13th Headhunter regiment.  
“Lieutenant, the Captain has granted you access to the base, proceed in and deal with the target.”

 

“Copy, Hudson out.” Hudson nodded to the other headhunter as they entered the base from the upper sectors. The place was devoid of any light, sparks would fly from the walls lighting their path as they walked, Raising his shot gun he led them through the many door ways and passages until they finally came to the main hall in the upper levels, “Sir, we are in and awaiting orders.” 

Static erupted before a voice came over the com, “Get your asses down here! We need back up!” His voice cut out as random spouts of gunfire sounded off from the background, “Captain, Whats going on?” Hudson said as they started moving again at a quicker pace. When they arrived at the upper levels they had a clear view of the courtyard beneath them. 

He could see a few dead ODST’s and no sign of the commander or the target, “Commander We have an overview of the courtyard what is your location?” He asked as he looked around for any way they could reach the lower levels. Locating the stair well they continued to the lower levels still no word from the commander, “I don’t like this Hudson, why haven’t we heard from the Commander?” Asked the other Headhunter, Hudson was silent still unsure himself about what happened to them, but he didn’t voice his opinion. Instead he marched down the stairs and made his way into the court yard where they had been. Looking around he could see the fallen ODST’s were not the commander. “Commander this is Hudson, what is your location over?” Static erupted from the radio as a voice struggled to maintain signal, “Com- Commander Huds- G- Control roo-” Hudson could barely make out what the voice said but he knew where it wanted him to go, “Let’s move!” He said running toward the control room his ally following close behind. As the door to the room slid open they could see that the place had undergone recent combat, bullet holes covering most of the rooms surface, a few scorch marks from grenades. They walked up the stairs and saw a few of their squad dead. 

“Commander? Commander! Where are you?” Hudson shouted as he raised his weapon keeping his head on a swivel. He looked to the control room itself and saw some more of his squad laying dead around the screens and control panels, “Commander Hudson.” A weak voice said, Hudson looked over at the screen room and could make out the body of the Corporal that had been communicating with him over the radio trying to move as he rested his back against the control panel, Hudson ran over as the other headhunter checked the rest of the room. He knelt down beside the Corporal checking him for injuries, “What happened?” Hudson asked as he found a deep knife wound in the man’s side. The Corporal coughed a bit before speaking, “He came... The target.... *Cough* He killed them all, he took the Commander.... *Cough* *Cough* He stopped to breathe before he continued on. I’m the only one that survived.” Hudson pulled out his Bio foam canister and began filling the wound, “Corporal where did he take the Commander?” The Corporal was silent for a moment but he motioned up with his thumb before coughing again. Hudson set the Bio foam down and slowly lifted his head to the rafters above, “Oh Shit.” He said as he looked upon the corpse of his commander as he dangled from the support beams, he had been hung by the neck with multiple stab wounds running across his chest and abdomen. Another set of coughing sounded from the Corporal as he tried to breathe, “We will get this guy, and he will pay for this.”

Hudson said, as he stood up. A blast sounded from behind and Hudson spun around to see his fellow headhunter fly across the room and slam into the hard glass on the wall. His shields were sparking and his chest piece was smoking. Hudson ran over only to get tackled by something much bigger than himself, as they skidded to a stop he saw that the thing was the target as he lifted his hand and tried to bring his knife down on Hudson’s skull, he blocked the strike with his forearm and fought to keep him from plunging the knife into his body, Assault rifle fire sprayed around the room scoring hits on both Hudson and the targets shields, looking over he could see the Corporal as he attempted to shoot at the assailant. The target took the advantage and slammed his fist into Hudson’s visor before grabbing the collar piece of his armor and lifting him up, “You should have taken my offer and left.” The man said as he threw Hudson across the room, sparks flew as his armor skidded across the floor before abruptly stopping as he hit the wall. Hudson was dazed but he could still hear as the assault rifle rounds died off and he could hear a scream. Slowly he got to his knees and looked over to where the Corporal had last been, the target had picked him up and was looking at him as the Corporal struggled in his grip. Then all at once the Corporal went limp and the target dropped his body on the ground, Hudson looked over to his comrade only to see him struggle to get up, he had something in his hands, “Eat this you piece of shit!” He screamed as he pulled the pin on a grenade and threw it as hard as he could towards the target.  
The target reacted with lightning speed as he spun around and grabbed the grenade in mid flight before throwing it back towards the headhunter. His ally didn’t have time to react as the grenade bounced off the wall next to him before going off. The light was blinding and it tore the headhunter to shreds, the blast slammed Hudson against the wall as shrapnel pierced his body, his vision blurred and his ears were ringing. He laid on the ground head facing towards the area his ally had once been, his vision blurred most of the room but he could make out the burnt husk of the former headhunter, he could also make out a large black figure making it’s way towards him, Hudson tried to get up but the shrapnel had destroyed his left arm and severely damaged one of his legs keeping him where he was as he gasped for air. The ringing in his ears dulled and he could hear the figure speaking to him, “I’m sorry this had to happen Hudson, I truly am. I gave your commander a choice, but he made the wrong one.” He said as he grabbed Hudson by his collar piece and sat him up straight, the target knelt in front of him and looked into Hudson’s visor, the target put a hand on Hudson’s shoulder, “You are a great warrior, and I wish we could have met under better circumstances.” The target sighed as he let his hand fall off Hudson’s shoulder. 

He seemed deep in thought but after a short few moments he looked back up at Hudson, “I feel there should be some form of formality between us.” He said as he grabbed his helmet and slowly slid it off. He set his helmet on the ground next to him, Hudson looked at his facial features, he looked to be in his late 20’s with dark brown hair that wasn’t buzzed but fairly short. His dark green eyes scanned Hudson’s visor and he could make out small bright green flecks that scattered across his iris. His face wasn’t hardened and aggressive like he had expected it to be, but instead a very serious expression lay across his features, he looked down and sighed, “I wish things could have been different. War is hell, and bad things happen to good people.” He paused for a moment His face hardening as he looked back at Hudson, "and It’s the cowards that hide behind us that should answer for this not you.” He said, Hudson began to feel light, he lost feeling in his arms and legs and his breathing was becoming shallow, the targets face softened a bit and he smiled, “Your journey is not over Hudson, you will begin anew. Travel to the light my friend, you will find everlasting peace. A sanctuary away from this place.” Hudson’s vision began to fade as he look at his target, “My name is Castiel, and I will never forget you.” Hudson smiled slightly under his helmet before letting out his last breath and fading into darkness.


	3. Burdens Of The Past

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Having temporarily escaped ONI's clutches. Castiel encounters an insurrectionist force that is run by a new commander. With this encounter reality begins to shift. And he finds himself in a war unlike anything he has ever encountered.

Burdens of the past

 

 

The sound of tires tearing through the earth rang out through the trees as the engine of the warthog roared, the ever quiet forest disrupted by the sounds of a machine being pushed to it’s limits. The large dirt path that carved through the trees curved and twisted making it almost impossible for anyone to see ahead of them for more than a couple hundred yards or so. The man behind the wheel didn’t seem to mind, almost careening into trees every time he made a turn, no... Only one thing was on his mind. Finding who had sent an ODST kill team after him....

 

Ghost checked his tac pad which he had now wired as a make shift GPS to track the ones he had been following as he slammed the pedal of the warthog to the floor sending it forward as fast as it would go. He knew they were holed up in the ONI HQ a few hundred clicks North of his position, he wanted to get there before the Highcom Officers could escape. Looking up from his tac pad Ghost’s eyes widened as he gripped the wheel and spun it right. The tires tore through the earth as the vehicle slid side ways before coming to a complete stop a few feet from a few large trunks. The shocks on the hog were enough to absorb most of the thrashing but it still shook it’s passenger. Ghost shook his head clearing away his disorientation, a beep sounded from his wrist, looking down he could see the blip now only a few miles ahead of him. He looked back up at the road and saw that it was a straight shot to his target. 

 

Through the trees the path led to a large bridge that was easily two Scorpion tanks wide and extended almost a quarter mile. Ghost gripped the wheel and stepped on the gas, the warthog lurched before tearing down the dirt path. His speed and velocity increased with each passing second and the bridge was coming close. The canopy of trees still overhead small rays of sunlight leaked through as the vehicle streaked past. Distant sounds of thunder sounded off as he neared the bridge. ‘Strange’ He thought, ‘There are no storm clouds in the area. Unless......’ His thoughts were interrupted as the sounds of explosions came from ahead, the tree line was nearing fast and he could see the HQ from across the bridge. The hog tore through the tree line and screeched to a halt right as it reached the bridge. Multiple booms sounded off from everywhere as Ghost looked around, the bridge spanned across a large lake with the HQ residing in the middle on some sort of island, On the edge of the forest which made somewhat of a circle around the island, surrounding the shore line bright flashes of light shot out from the trees from all directions. Fiery explosions peppered the building in the middle as the walls of the place broke apart, although the base itself was immensely large. The outer walls surrounding the perimeter were being eradicated by the rounds firing out from the trees. Ghost stepped on the gas putting the warthog in gear as he sped towards the base. Rounds tore through the air before slamming into the base in a fiery inferno. Rubble and debris was thrown everywhere. Ghost neared the base, “I will not let these cowards escape” Ghost muttered to himself, just as he made it halfway across the bridge he heard the sound of something large ripping through air, Ghost looked to his left and a large streak of light sped through the air at impossible speeds exploding into the bridge sending his hog flying forward flipping through the air before landing with a bone crushing crunch. The hog skidded on it’s side for a couple hundred yards before coming to a slow halt. 

Ghost, still strapped into the seat was racked with pain. Ears were ringing and he figured a few broken ribs were in order but he could nurse his wounds later, he needed to get out of the hog. Slowly, he reached around and pressed on the button releasing the buckle that wrapped around his midsection. The drivers side was nearest to the floor so he managed to crawl out with little trouble. Reaching back into the warthog he grabbed his shot gun, attached it to the magnetic holster on his back and got to his feet. The base was still being bombarded by explosions and he knew he had to make it in there fast, he took off running towards the base closing the distance between him and the front gates. Ghost could see a few marines at the front gates running around like ants as they tried to avoid the hell that was raining down on them. A few turned and spotted Ghost as he ran towards the entrance and they mounted the turrets stationed near the front gates, loading up the large turrets they started firing at Ghost. The bullets tore through the concrete as they tried to hit their target, Ghost managing to strafe and dodge just out of reach as he neared the gates. More marines came out of from the courtyard beyond the gates and took defensive positions behind some large chunks of the wall that had fallen. Sprinting towards them Ghost saw two support beams on either side of the bridge connecting to the MG towers that the gunners were firing from. Diving forward he took cover behind one of the fallen stones just as bullets struck the ground near him. Checking his weapons he saw that he had his shotgun, a few grenades, his large knife, and his sidearm. “I promise I will return it to you.” He said to no one in particular as his hand grazed over the empty sheathe on his chest. A large chunk of rock exploded off the side of his make shift bunker pulling Ghost out of his thoughts. Taking a deep breath he grabbed a grenade off his belt before vaulting over the rock and into the fray, bullets smacked into his shields causing them to flare as he neared one of the support beams, leaping into the air he landed onto the support beam on the right side of the bridge. He grabbed onto one of the poles attached to the support beam using it to propel himself forward as he ran up the beam towards one of the MG towers, pulling the pin on his grenade he threw it into the tower across the bridge before diving into the tower he was near.

Catching the marine mounted on the turret off guard Ghost pulled out his sidearm and sent two rounds to his chest and one to his head eliminating him easily. A loud boom went off behind him and he turned to see that his grenade had done it’s job. Ghost then ran and vaulted over the side of the tower, landing into the courtyard behind the wall of marines guarding the entrance. Side arm in hand he started firing on the soldiers, he dropped three before they realized Ghost was behind them, turning they fired their assault rifles and DMRs. Ghost fired a few more shots at them before the familiar click of an empty mag filled his ears. Ghost tossed his magnum and rolled off to the side pulling out his shot gun in mid roll. Recovering from his roll he unloaded a few rounds at the marines walking towards them as he did so. After he had killed four of them the two remaining soldiers figured it would be a smart move to dive over the chunks of wall for cover. Ghost looked at his ammo gauge and saw he only had one shot left. Quickly he slid his large combat knife out of it’s sheathe and readied his shotgun, shakes of the earth and large explosions around the base let him know it was still being bombarded by Scorpion tanks. One of the marines peeked over the side only to duck back under as Ghost unloaded his last shot at their cover, he then slid his shot gun onto his back and charged forward, the same marine jumped up quickly again in an attempt to shoot Ghost but, he was too slow as the Spartan threw his knife with unbelievable speed striking the marine in the chest sending him flying backwards.

 

Ghost jumped over the rubble and grabbed the front of the last marines rifle, ripping it from his hands and tossing it aside. He grabbed the marine by the collar piece of his armor and threw him towards his dead ally, the soldier rolled and slammed against a nearby rock. Ghost walked towards him only stopping to rip his knife out of the dead marine. He approached the marine and sheathed his knife, before grabbing the marine by the throat and lifting him up to meet his eyes. He was about to finish him off when what sounded like a whip cracking rang out, Ghosts shield broke and a round went through his shoulder causing him to drop the marine and fall to his knees. A large group of soldiers started pouring out of the facility, mainly marines but there were a few squads of ODSTs and headhunters that served under ONIs banner. The marine that Ghost had almost suffocated stumbled over and grabbed his rifle pointing it towards the Spartan. “Your kind is a dying race, and soon you will all be extinct. You were foolish to come here.” He was about to open fire on Ghost when two long swords streaked past the base, what followed were two large projectiles fly through the air and digging themselves into the base. The marine turned to look but a bright flash and a deafening boom erased all sight and sound. The only thing Ghost could sense was that he was no longer on the ground.

 

Pain shot through the Spartan as he felt his body slamming into the earth twisting and turning in all sorts of directions that seemed unnatural. His body came to a slow, and eventually a stop, still blind and ears ringing he could only look into a white void. He remained like that for a long while, ears ringing, pain coursing through his body, but slowly the white void was beginning to create shapes and color. Reconstructing the world so that he could see again. Eventually he was able to see his arm stretched out on the concrete of the bridge, he tried to move his head but pain shot up and down his spine. He didn’t try to move again, but instead looked at what remained of the base. A large cloud of smoke was ascending towards the now blood red sky. The entire base was engulfed in fire as bits and pieces of rock crumbled away, his ears were still ringing, though not as bad as before, he could make out the distant sound of engines roaring and a low thud of something large hitting the ground. 

He tried to move his head again and found that he could do it with less pain. Turning his head towards the sound he saw a pelican, but this one seemed different from the pelicans he had seen before... This one seemed altered. It was not the standard UNSC sage that was required for all Pelicans and most vehicles, this one was jet black and looked much more ominous than it’s sage colored cousin. The back hatch opened and slowly made it’s way to the floor. As it reached the floor Ghost looked into the black void that was the passenger bay of the pelican, and what stepped out looked like something out of a hellish nightmare. A giant covered from head to boot in Blood red armor. Strapped to it’s back was the largest gravity hammer Ghost had ever seen, easily surpassing most chieftain hammers in size and intimidation. This monster seemed to have a helmet on but an evil smile had been etched into the gold visor, and as it slowly approached him he started to get this sense of dread, the way this things armor was contrasting against the already blood red sky was creating something that looked far from human, if it weren’t for his current situation he would almost have thought that he was in hell, and this was none other than the devil himself. Ghost tried to move, but his body was still immobile and in serious pain. In a matter of a few seconds, the large monster had enclosed the gap between them and now stood towering over Ghost. That face, looked as if it was savoring this moment. Relishing the chaos and destruction surrounding it and wanted nothing more than to see the universe burn just as it had here. 

The creature reached out with it’s massive hand and grabbed Ghost by the neck, lifting his body with one arm and bringing Ghosts visor just a little higher than it’s own. Ghosts body was being tormented, so much pain all at once it was a fight to maintain consciousness, but if this was his end then he would not be put out like a dying flame, he would fight. Even if it meant fighting to stay awake... Ghosts ears had cleared and he could hear everything around him, the roar of the fire as it consumed everything in the base behind them. The whine of the engines as they eagerly waited to return to the sky. Ghost focused on the gold visor of the beast as it started to speak, “He said you would be here, although I expected much more than what dangles before me.” A deep German accent was embedded in those words, and in a way it suited this monstrosity. It looked like something created in a war factory during humanities Second World war on earth. Ghosts vision started to fade as the things grip tightened around his throat, “Return to the darkness little rat, and when you awaken.... You will wish you were never born.” Ghost couldn’t even think anymore, there was no oxygen reaching his brain and soon he fell into the black oblivion that was unconsciousness.


	4. Into The Valley Of The Shadow Of Death Part I

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Captured, displayed before all of UNSC and ONI, Castiel is used as a catalyst to destroy the image of the Spartans, the new leader of the insurrectionist forces plans to destroy everything humanities military has tried to cover up.

Into the valley of the Shadow of Death.  
Part I

 

Blood dripped from Ghosts face as his head hung, he had been chained to a cement wall with the same chains they used to anchor ships, his helmet had been tarnished and was laying on the floor cracked and destroyed. His chest piece was burnt beyond repair and was lying in a pile along with his shoulder pads. The only things he had on were his armored leggings and his boots along with his black jump suit that all Spartans wore underneath their armor. His body was numb. He could no longer feel anything, he had been put through a meat grinder and spat back out into the darkest pit of hell. 

 

“How long has he been out?” A feminine voice sounded through the darkness.

 

“Long, enough. I’m surprised he hasn’t succumbed already.” A deep voice responded, Ghost remembered that voice, he couldn’t place who it belonged to but it was familiar to him. 

 

“He wouldn’t succumb, he is stronger than you think.” The feminine voice stated.

 

The deep voice chuckled, “I don’t care how strong the rat is, everything has a breaking point. Besides, once we are ready to move out he’s a dead man.” A series of flashes broke through the darkness as Ghost recollected what happened.

 

He was on a bridge, fire and smoke surrounding him, a giant behemoth held him by his throat as it spoke to him, “Return to the darkness little rat, and when you awaken.... You will wish you were never born.” All at once, Ghost was returned to darkness. It was the giant that had been with him on the bridge, that is who this voice belonged to.... ‘But who was this other person?’ He questioned. The heavy thud of boots hitting the floor drew near, and Ghost could hear both of them stiffen and grow quiet, “Is he ready?” A new voice entered the room, he did not know this voice but it carried an authoritative sense about it. “He has been out cold for the past eight hours, I’m not even sure he’s still alive.” The deep voice replied, 

 

“He is alive, and he will remain alive until I have given him permission to die.” The voice said unwavering. Someone started walking towards him, and stopped just a few feet away. He could feel eyes on him, a burning sensation told him all of them were staring at him. Ghost felt something grab his face, but there seemed to be some sort of fabric between him and the thing grabbing his face. Then, as if someone decided to turn on the light switch, Ghost was blinded by a series of bright lights, it hurt his eyes and his vision was blurry. The figure in front of him took a few steps back and waited. Everything was slow moving, but the lights had dimmed a little since his initial awakening. “Good, you’re awake. Allow me to introduce myself, I am Trident, Current leader of the Insurrectionist forces, and as of right now I hold the key to your existence.” Ghosts vision was slowly returning to normal and he could get a better view of his captors, the man that stood in front of him was the one that called himself “Trident” He appeared to be wearing Spartan IV armor variants, but alterations had been made. This armor was Jet black with blood red as a secondary. He was wearing a basic UNSC Spartan IV helmet, but instead of a blue visor, red took it’s place. Looking him up and down, Ghost noticed a dark red trident plastered on the left side of his chest plate. 

 

He had an arrogance about him that radiated off in waves, and it troubled Ghost to think that one being could produce so much self pride, “The large man standing behind me is the one that brought you here, he is known as BloodLetter.” Ghost looked to the creature that brought him here, ‘so it was a man and not a beast?’ He thought to himself. The giant walked past Trident and stood in front of Ghost, “If it weren’t for him I’d have strung you up by your entrails, but he has bigger plans for you.” He grabbed Ghost by the throat and hauled him up, the chains rattling as he did so. “You are a pathetic excuse for a II, It’s a wonder you have survived this long.” He said as he released Ghost and watched as his body lurched, but was held up by the heavy chains. Chuckling he slowly made his way back to where he stood. Trident looked at BloodLetter for a moment before turning his gaze back to Ghost, “Now that you two have been Properly introduced, I can continue with my plans.” A sharp cough interrupted Trident as he looked to his right, a Spartan with feminine appearance stood with her arms crossed as she looked back to Trident, she was wearing armor with similar appearance to a soldier he had worked with, long ago, one he had thought dead.... "Dana?" Ghost struggled to say, it came out more of a raspy whisper but it was still audible. The woman laughed as if he had made a joke, she stepped forward entering the light, Her colors changed, from that of Steel and blue, to Orchid and Teal. “Close, but no...” She said as she sauntered over to him slowly, using two fingers to lift his chin so that he had to look at her, “Apart from the fact I am better looking than all of your little friends, I am also much more skilled than them,” She said with malice as she let his head drop. She walked back to the same dark area she had inhabited before and stood there, “Yes... This is Kara, my apprentice and current assassin for the Insurrectionists.” Trident said, “Thats enough of the introductions, and I want to make one thing clear before we begin.” He said as he walked towards Ghost, taking a knee and looking him in the eyes.

 

“This universe we find ourselves in, is nothing more than a large chess board, with ONI, the UNSC, and the sangheili forces as the players. What they fail to realize is that a new player has emerged, and those that think they are in control are merely pawns to my plans. They have made their choices, made their moves and now....” He paused as if to let Ghost think about what he just said, 

 

“It’s my turn to make the moves, I have waited a long time, planned everything out. Collected all resources required to make this possible. Now, nothing will stand in my way. You see Castiel, I know who you are, I know who your friends are, I know everything about you. I know everything there is to know about anything in this pathetic universe we call home, ONI and their futile attempts to silence me have done nothing but further our cause and bring us close to our victory.” 

He looked at the battered Spartan, for a moment as if contemplating whether or not Castiel truly understood what he was saying,

“I can tell you now..... No one will stand in my way. Not you, not ONI or the other factions that find themselves in this game, not even God himself can stop me from my goal.” 

Standing up, Trident took a moment to look down at something he was holding in his hand. He tapped it a few times and received a beep in response, “As much as I have enjoyed this little talk, we must get going with this. You play a valuable role in my next move and we cannot keep the game waiting.....” He turned and walked over to what looked like a computer screen, the green light covering Trident in a sickly green color as he approached it. He turned his head slightly back towards Castiel, “Let us begin.” He turned his head back to the screen and placed the little pad in his hand on the panel below the screen.

 

 

POV: Computer systems.

 

Systems Online.

 

Current User login.

TRIDENT  
\---------------

Password [******]

 

Access granted.

 

Recording systems active.

 

Broadcasting live feed to - ONI HighCom, UNSC HighCom.

 

All systems within these programs will override and receive log.

 

Activating override.

Systems responding.

Begin Recording Log.

Start time 0:00:01

 

The computer captured all within the room, Trident stood facing the screen just a few feet away, a large figure could be seen chained to a wall in the background. 

 

“What is life but a black void of anguish and despair? The foolishness and stupidity that lies within all of you make you blind to what this universe truly is. I have seen this truth, and knowing what I must do has led me to this.”

 

Trident paused for a moment, holding his gaze on the screen as if savoring the moment,

“The leadership of your military's is disgusting and cowardly, they are rats deserving of nothing more than the heel of my boot, and I will be damned if I let those parasites continue to live another second in my presence.”

 

He chuckled a bit, and turned his head slightly as if to look at the man strapped to the wall,

“For those of you that find safety and security behind the Director and his web of lies, I have no pity for you. You fools put your faith in false prophets, and weak leaders, all of you are nothing more than dust in the wind, fading away into the darkness you refuse to believe is there.”

 

He turned back to the screen, “The darkness is very real, and it will soon consume all hope and good in this universe, leaving nothing but eternal fear and despair for those who are weak.”

“I will show you that your leaders will only guide you to your execution.”

 

Trident side stepped and allowed the camera to focus on the chained figure, “Take a good long look, does this man look familiar?” The man was hanging from the wall, blood dripped from his face and wounds onto the floor forming a small puddle beneath him.

“Some of you may have once looked to him as a source of hope, someone with a sturdy resolve that cannot be shaken easily.... As Agents of the Wet-work program I see that you are fast, that you are strong, that you seem unstoppable, some might even say invincible.... Yet you rely too heavily on one another for support, that is weakness and to prove this to you I have with me one of your own.” 

He looked to the man and lifted his hand, “This is Castiel, most of you may know him as Agent Ghost. This is nothing more than a man, no matter how highly you think of him, and just like any man he too, can bleed.”

 

Trident motioned to someone and in a few short seconds, a large figure clad in crimson walked up to Castiel, and with one quick motion unsheathed his combat knife and slashed the Spartan across the chest. Castiel groaned as blood started flowing down his front, the large behemoth simply slid his knife back into it’s sheathe and walked back out of camera shot. Trident looked back towards the screen, “You all that think you can escape Death? I will tell you now, that before this is done, I will stand before your corpses and laugh. For I am Death, and I will decide who lives and who dies.” 

With those words, Trident pulled his magnum out of his holster, turned and raised his weapon, pointing it at Castiel. Castiel looked straight at him, blood caked his face making it impossible to identify any features, but his eyes were locked to Tridents visor. His gaze was hard and unwavering as his executioner stood there weapon raised and aimed straight at his heart, Trident stood there for a moment, an evil grin spread under his helmeted features, and he snickered as the injured Spartan continued to stare down his own fate, his dark green eyes never leaving Trident. “Even when facing Death, you still persist... A quality that not many men have left, considered brave by most... Brave indeed, but foolish. Goodbye Castiel, may you wander in the valley of the shadow of death for eternity.” Trident squeezed the trigger, and a bullet fired out of the chamber, the noise was enough to muffle the audio on the camera for a few seconds. The bullet buried itself deep into Castiels chest, his gaze started to lose what little life was left in them and his head dropped. Everything became quiet as the camera struggled to maintain it’s regular audio, Trident lowered his gun and holstered it as if he had just finished target practice.

 

He turned to face the screen walking forward until he was at the control panel, “I am Death, I am the executioner, I am the Reaper, and you will all be consumed by the fire that burns inside of my soul.” The transmission ended with the blood red of Tridents visor as it glowed in the faint light within the room.

 

Transmission End.

 

Live Feed successfully broadcasted to all sources.

 

Computer Systems Offline.

 

Trident shut down the computer systems as BloodLetter and Kara walked up behind him, “What’s our next move?” Kara asked, Trident turned to face them both, the light reflecting off his visor making it burn as everything else darkened around him, “Now that our pawns are in place, we can focus on moving the Knights into position.” They looked at him confused, “Knights sir?” Kara asked, “Yes Kara, the Knights. The fleets under our command will do as instructed and begin their assaults.” 

Trident turned to exit the room, “Do you think that the death of one man will do anything to anger his old team?” BloodLetter asked, Trident looked towards the fallen Spartan. “Oh it will do more than anger them, they will feel as if a piece of themselves has been torn from their chest. As I said before, they rely too heavily on each other, if you kill one, they all become weak. They will deteriorate from the inside, and when that happens we will let the Sangheili finish them off.”

 

Trident turned his head and looked back to the two of them, “Everything will go exactly as I have planned.” He said, before exiting the room leaving the place in dead silence.


End file.
